


Finding Home

by astrid_lee20



Category: Mystic Messenger (Video Game)
Genre: Anxiety, Depression, Eventual Romance, F/M, It's a chat game so there are some chat rooms included but probably not many, Not Canon Compliant, Reckless Behavior
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-19
Updated: 2018-09-19
Packaged: 2019-06-29 17:11:07
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,683
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15733821
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/astrid_lee20/pseuds/astrid_lee20
Summary: Sometimes, home is a person. Kayla Ashworth doesn't realize that until she gets roped into RFA.(I do not own Mystic Messenger! Any of the chats/characters that seem familiar do belong to them. Tags/Characters will be added as the story goes on.)





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> See the end notes for sources I have used.

It had all been an honest mistake.

The app had made its way onto my phone while I was sleeping—this wasn’t all that weird, as I had a bad habit of sleep texting, and sleep deleting apps (I’ll never forget how angry I was at myself for deleting that stupid _Pocket Morty_ game). But I had woken up with it on my phone, buzzing away with contacts I didn’t recognize and didn’t bother looking through. Figuring I had accidentally downloaded a game, I had decided I would mess with it later.

Ignoring the notification from someone dubbed “ _Unknown_ ,” I flipped my phone over and shifted my attention towards the man at the front of the room. Gray eyes darted around, piercing every person they landed on except for the soft glance at the blond boy a few chairs from me, who seemingly was having trouble staying awake. I wondered idly if they knew each other somehow before giving him another once over. His shaggy black hair didn’t match the serious expression on his face, or the wrinkle-less suit he wore that was crisp and clean and damn near perfect. 

If I looked long and hard enough, he almost seemed...bored. 

It was as if he’d heard my thoughts, or, what was much more likely, caught me staring. Jumin Han took the opportunity to size me up as well, and I immediately felt the warmth in my cheeks before staring intently at the top of the desk in front of me.

I had been staring so intently at everything else for the past twenty-five minutes that I barely registered my name being called to ask the corporate heir my question I had posted to our class discussion board the night before. Taking comfort in the fact that no one else would be asking my question, I dug down deep and found some courage before glancing up at the intense man once more, willing away my blush and clearing my throat. “In previous statements, C&R has declared a desire to expand globally. Where would you personally want to expand, and why?”

Mr. Han’s eyes showed a hint of excitement. “America, Specifically Napa Valley. They manufacture some of the best wines, and I’ve been wanting to move into wine business for a while.”

“Your company pulls revenue from exports,” I countered. “If you’re looking to expand exportation and receive more revenue from that, shouldn’t you be looking to China? They nearly doubled the exports of the United States last year.”

“Ah, but the United States did better than China in wine this past year. Where China ranked 15, the United States ranked 6.”

“And France ranked number one.” I politely reminded him. “If you have the resources, start with China for your exports, then France for your Wine, and  _then_  America if you’re desperate for Napa Valley. If your concern is wine, America is not your best bet. California has been having too many droughts for that to be a stable source of income for your company in the future.”

“Miss Ashworth here is an exchange student from the states.” The professor gave Mr. Han an embarrassed grin, and then sent a glare my way. His distaste for me had only grown significantly since I’d been here, and I doubted this exchange was helping my case.

“She has certainly done her research.” The serious expression hadn’t left Han’s face, but his eyes were a bit softer. “She’d fit very well in an international corporate firm. Your comments are refreshing, Miss Ashworth. Second guessing my decisions is not something I hear often as a director of a highly successful company, but I have been wrong before. Assistant Kang, will you please take note of Miss Ashworth’s comments? I’d like to do further research on our latest project...”

Everyone’s eyes were on me now, and I shrank back into my seat. My professor looked mortified, the blond boy from earlier looked amazed, and Han was dazed, already back in his director mode instead of being present in a college classroom. My professor tried to start calling on more people, but Han ended that immediately.

“I’m sorry, Professor Kim. I have taken too much time away from the office and I have to return immediately.” He was already gathering his things, but he stopped for a second to glance at the blond boy from earlier. “Yoosung, I will see your application for the internship on my desk soon, no?”

Yoosung. So that was his name.

“Yes, Ju—I mean, yes  _sir_.” 

His gaze shifted to me. “I’d like to see more from you, Miss Ashworth. Please see Yoosung about a possible internship.”

And then he and his assistant were out of the classroom, leaving silence and angry glares at myself and Yoosung in their wake.

 

 

“Ashworth! Hey, Ashworth! Wait up!”

I froze at the yelling, turning sharply on my heel to face Yoosung, watching as he ran towards me. His footfalls were loud, and he looked to be dangerously out of breath as he caught up to me. He came to almost too sudden a stop, and instinctively I reached out to steady him before he fell on top of me.

“Thanks.” He looked embarrassed, and stepped away for a minute to let his hands rest on his knees, breathing deeply.

“Er…do I need to call someone? Are you okay?”

“Fine, just…just needed a minute to catch my breath.” He finally stood upright and gave me a small smile. “Jeez, you’re fast. I was going to give you Mr. Han’s information after class, but you were out of there before I could get you. Don’t you want to try for the internship?”

“Oh, yeah.” It was my turn to be embarrassed now. “I, um. Professor Kim doesn’t like me much and I’m sure today didn’t help. I wanted to be out of there before he could ask me to stay after. Kind of forgot about everything else.”

“He doesn’t like over-achievers.” He shrugged. “I’ve had him before. You’re an honors student, right? And an exchange student to boot? You’re going to be his main target, unfortunately. You’re giving him a run for his money. Had I known you before, I would have told you to take someone else for your business classes.”

“You don’t really know me now.”

“Maybe we could get to know each other at Mr. Han’s company next semester.” He pulled out his wallet and grabbed a business card, handing it to me with that same smile that was making my heart melt. He was like a puppy, and I _hated_ him for it. “Here’s the link for the application.”

“I might not be here next semester, but thank you. Might as well apply.” I didn’t have a choice but to take the card as he had all but shoved it in my hand, so I hurriedly shoved it into my pocket so as not to offend him. “I don’t mean to be rude, but…”

“You’ve got to go, I bet. I do too. I’ve got a meeting with the coffee club here soon. Although, I may not go…I kind of want to play LOLOL.”

“You should go be around people.” I patted his shoulder. “Good practice for networking. Also, you get coffee out of it. Bye, Yoosung.”

“Bye, Ashworth!” He was already on his way back to the main part of the campus, smiling and waving at me as he went.

“That’s not my first name!” I shouted, but it was as if he hadn’t heard me. Maybe he didn’t.

 

 

I had just woken up from an unplanned nap when I noticed my phone buzzing again. I tapped on a notification from the app, RFA, that I had apparently sleep downloaded. I had meant to play with it earlier—why not play with it now?

_Unknown has entered the chatroom._

_Unknown:_ Hello?

 _Unknown_ : Are you getting my messages?

I went to type a response, but I had to set up a username to be able to speak. So, not feeling super original in my half-asleep state, I typed in “Kayla” and began to respond.

 _Kayla:_ Who is this?

 _Unknown:_ … Finally connected. Thank God.

I stared at the phone in shock. This had to be some kind of elaborate prank, or very smart AI. It buzzed again.

 _Unknown:_ I want to find the owner of this phone I found, but I don’t see any contact info or call records…

 _Unknown:_ I’ve been sending messages with this app but no reply…

 _Unknown:_ All I see is an address and some important-looking numbers saved in notes.

 _Unknown:_ I’d like to go there myself but I’m currently abroad…

 _Kayla:_ An address?

 _Unknown:_ Yes. There’s a Korean address and a long number. I think it’s a password.

 _Unknown:_ Do you mind going to the address?

 _Unknown:_ I know you’re surprised to have someone suddenly pop up and ask you a favor like this.

 _Unknown:_ But still…

 _Unknown:_ I’d appreciate it if you could help.

 _Unknown:_ It’s a really safe place. Crowded and developed.

I bit my lip. Was I actually considering this? It wasn’t as if I had anything to lose. I had nothing to go back to in the States. If I went missing, no one would really be looking for me. This made me an easy target, but…this sounded kind of thrilling. I’d had an interesting day so far, why not go all the way?

With trembling fingers, I typed out a response.

 _Kayla:_ What’s the address?

 

 

I could not _believe_ I was doing this.

The apartment was…extraordinarily nice. After typing in the password _Unknown_ had given me and asking for his details so I could leave them with the probable phone owner, he had just…stopped responding.

 While I waited on a response, I took a glance around at my surroundings. Everything looked as if it hadn’t been touched in a very long time. The bed was shoved into the corner of the room, and the nightstand beside it had a small safe stacked on top of it. Across the room was a small office area, complete with relatively new and unused electronics as well as a ton of desk space. The kitchen was small, but nice and seemed to be clean. On a hunch I checked the dishwasher—empty, as expected. Whoever owned this apartment had left it nice and neat, and I was starting to feel a little bad about the tiny mess I had left in my dorm.

My phone began buzzing again, and it was a notification again from the stupid app that had led me here. It opened a chatroom, and before I could even see who was in it someone had started blowing it up.

Kayla has entered the chatroom.

 _Yoosung_ : Thanks for the shout out today, Jumin.

I froze again—I seemed to be doing that a lot today. _Yoosung_?

 _Jumin Han_ : I want you to work for our company. Figured that would give you and the wine girl impetus to apply.

 _Yoosung_ : You still want me? Even though…well…you know.

 _Jumin Han_ : Yes.

 _707_ : Nice~ Can’t believe you get to work straight after college lol

 _707_ : In this day and age!

 _Zen_ : Lame. It’s nepotism.

 _Jumin Han_ : It’s called recruitment actually.

My mouth hung open in shock. Jumin Han? _The_ Jumin Han? And _Yoosung_? I was suddenly very glad neither of them knew my first name. I felt a white hot twisting in my gut. I couldn’t keep from watching as the chat went on, not even to check the text notification from Unknown. I clicked it away and kept reading.

 _707_ : Wait!

 _Yoosung_ : Why?

 _Zen_ : ??

 _707_ : Think someone entered the chat room;;

 _Jumin Han_ : Kayla…?

 _Zen_ : Wtf. How did it get in here?

 _707_ : Hacker!

 _Yoosung_ : Hacker? There’s a hacker in ouer room!

 _Yoosung_ : Sevnee do somethign!

 _Zen_ : Hey, typos. -_-;;

 _707_ : Wait a sec. I’m searching.

 _Jumin_ : Who are you? Reveal yourself. Hey, Assistant Kang.

 _Jaehee_ : Yes, I am here.

 _Zen_ : You were so quiet I thought you went somewhere.

 _Jaehee_ : Nothing was out of the ordinary so I was just watching

 _Jaehee_ : But I see something has just happened.

 _Yoosung_ : omg

 _Jumin_ : Why is a stranger in our chatroom?

 _Jaehee_ : No one can enter this chatroom without installing the private app we use…it seems someone has downloaded the RFA Messenger.

 _Yoosung_ : I thought Seven let only us download it?

 _Zen_ : Maybe someone downloaded the app on two phones?

 _707_ : Maybe?

 _Jumin_ : Who downloaded it twice?

 _Yoosung_ : Not me!

I grew more and more anxious with every message. Out of sheer nerves, my fingers typed before I could stop them.

 _Kayla_ : Hello…

 _Yoosung_ : Gah! It’s talking!

 _Zen_ : So it’s not two smartphones.

 _Jumin_ : Who is it?

 _Yoosung_ : Find out what it is!

 _Jaehee_ : How did you find out about this place? Where did you download the application?

 _707_ : Oh… ^^; Wait.

 _707_ : I traced the IP…

 _707_ : It’s from Rika’s apartment.

 _707_ : I’ve already called V.

 _V_ has entered the chatroom.

 _V_ : Hello, everyone.

 _V_ : Jumin, can we utilize the meeting room at C&R? Tonight?

 _Jumin_ : Of course. Assistant Kang?

 _Jaehee_ : On it.

 _V_ : Luciel, I need you to meet me at Rika’s apartment in 15 minutes.

 _V_ : Kayla, do not touch a single thing in that apartment. In fact, it’s best if you do not move from where you are.

 _V_ : Everyone else, I need you to get to C&R and await further instruction.

 _V_ has left the chatroom.

 _707_ has left the chatroom.

 _Zen_ : …That was abrupt. He doesn’t speak to us for months and then acts like he runs the show?

 _Jumin_ : He does “run the show.” It would do you well to stop badmouthing V and get your ass to my meeting room immediately.

Jumin Han has left the chatroom.

Jaehee Kang has left the chatroom.

 _Yoosung_ : I still can’t believe this is happening…

Yoosung has left the chatroom.

Zen has left the chatroom.

I clicked out of the chatroom, and clicked sign to agree that anything I’d seen or said in the chatroom was confidential. I wanted to pace, wanted to leave, but I felt as though that would end disastrously. I clicked on my messages again, and saw that Unknown’s message had been…incredibly cryptic. I typed out a frustrated _who the hell are you_ and crossed my arms, waiting for V and…Luciel, to arrive.


	2. Job Offer

What felt like hours went by before I heard the sound of the door opening.

“You’re sure it’s not going to detonate now?”

“I should be the only one with access, V.” The man who must have been Luciel shut the door behind the two, locking it quickly. He ran over to the safe and quickly opened it, then pulled a pair of pliers out of his baggy jacket pocket and started tweaking with something I couldn’t see.

V turned to me, and I thought maybe he was staring me down, calculating, but I couldn’t be sure due to the fact his eyes were covered by extremely dark sunglasses. He didn’t move a muscle.

“Kayla.”

“You must be V.”

He gave a wry smile. “Tell me. How did you come across the app?”

“Honestly? I woke up this morning and it was on my phone.” I went to grab my phone from my pocket, but he tsked.

“Ah, ah. No. Do not move until Luciel has dismantled the bomb.”

My blood ran cold. “Bomb?”

Luciel made a noncommittal noise. “Yeah, I built this sucker on Rika’s request. I thought it was a little extreme, but…she could have had my life in her hands if I didn’t. Don’t worry, I know this thing inside and out. Just give me a few more minutes.”

“Okay.”

V stared at me for another moment before speaking. “You’re extremely calm about all of this.”

“I’m good at hiding stress.”

“What about handling it?”

“I work well under pressure.”

“And are you a people person?”

“When I need to be.”

“Done.” Luciel stowed his pliers back into his pocket and closed the safe, locking it up once more. “You’re both free to move as needed. Kayla, please call me Seven. It is my preferred name.”

V pulled out one of the bar stools and took a seat, gesturing for me to do the same. I did, and, sitting across from him now I felt oddly at ease. “Seven, V. I apologize for intruding. I was led here under the pretense of giving someone details to get their phone back. I know I would be lost without mine, and…it was an impulsive and stupid decision as I know now.”

“You were tricked, apparently. But I also don’t believe that this was an accident, if what you are saying is true.” V held out his hand. “May I?”

I nodded and handed over my phone, unlocking it before doing so. “The texts came through the app. The chatroom wasn’t activated until I entered this apartment.”

He stared at my phone for a while, scrolling through the texts and then scrolling through other things, which made me squirm. It wasn’t as if I had anything to hide, but I didn’t love my privacy being invaded, either. Just for having thought that I could have smacked myself—I had invaded their privacy in an even worse way than he was invading mine. “Kayla, I am very sorry you have been dragged into this. I am afraid, however, it is unsafe for you to keep this phone on hand. I will provide you with another one by tomorrow morning, but we need to keep this.”

“Unsafe?”

“If the hacker was able to install an app on your phone remotely, there’s no telling what else he had access to.” Seven had my phone in his hands now, clicking through various settings. “There’s most likely some spyware on here that’s been collecting information for weeks, if not longer.”

“Information, like, reading my texts and emails?”

“That, any account you’ve logged into on here, any location you’ve been in while the phone was on, conversations your private assistant Siri has heard. Everything.” Seven turned off my phone and shoved it in his pocket. “But I just wonder…why you?”

“She’s in this apartment. She was told the password that I didn’t even know.” V was speaking so quietly I wouldn’t have heard it if it weren’t for the fact my anxiety had kicked into high gear and I was almost hearing too much. “Seven, Rika must have wanted this. This was orchestrated.”

“She wanted someone to continue hosting the parties?”

“Parties?” I asked, dumbfounded. Why all this weird secrecy about a party?

“When Rika was still with us, we hosted parties that allowed people to donate to a good cause, no matter their class or nationality. These parties also allowed for big business deals to happen, so it was very important that they were planned and managed thoroughly, which is why RFA was founded.” V explained, fixing me now with an intense gaze. “You were chosen for a reason. How would you feel about taking over Rika’s position, and hosting parties?”

“That’s funny. I…I’m studying abroad this semester at SKY University for my Hospitality Management degree. This is exactly the type of work I want to do. Of course I’m in, but I have to ask why all the secrecy?”

V offered his hand and I took it, giving it a firm shake. “We have much to discuss, but I believe it is best discussed at C&R’s headquarters. Seven, how fast do you think you can get us there?”

Seven grinned, flashing nearly perfect white teeth and pulling out a set of keys. “Five minutes.”

*~*~*

Voices drifted down the hallway in hushed, angry whispers. V walked ahead, sure of himself and seemingly unfazed by all of this chaos. My stomach twisted up in knots as I realized just who I was about to see, and the not-so-friendly reception that could follow. I decided not to think too hard about it, just looked around as we walked and tried to focus on just how…pretty this place was for a corporate headquarters. There were many offices, most of them surrounded by walls of glass and floor to ceiling windows. There were live, green plants everywhere, and the building almost seemed alive. It wouldn’t surprise me if the building was one of those “living buildings” I had done a research project on in sophomore biology.

I must have been stalling longer than I thought—Seven quickened his pace behind me and I sighed inwardly, wanting to stay hidden behind V as he pushed the door to the conference room open.

“Oh, if I have to be in this room with you for _one more minute_ —“ That was a distinct, male voice I didn’t recognize, and I assumed it belonged to username “Zen”.

“You could leave.” Jumin Han’s voice snapped and I jumped back slightly.

“Maybe I will!” I could see Zen clearly now. He stood to an intimidating six feet and glared at the director. “You arrogant, pompous—“

“Zen, that is _enough_. Sit down.” V was stern now, not nearly as carefree as he had been 20 minutes ago. Four pairs of eyes followed his voice, and then locked on me. Yoosung’s jaw dropped; Jumin dropped his pen, and then cleared his throat and grabbed it up again as if he hadn’t been phased. The woman that had been with him earlier, Jaehee, huffed and began shuffling through her paperwork, muttering about another all-nighter.

There was a long moment of silence, and I very nearly turned and ran before Yoosung jumped up, pointing a finger in my direction. “You! You’re in my business class! I thought your name was Ashworth!”

“Well, as I did say earlier, that’s not my first name.” I crossed my arms, suddenly very uncomfortable.

“You know Yoosung?” V turned and stared at me now, raising a brow above his sunglasses.

“We met today.” I stared down at my shoes. “When he ran after me…to give me Mr. Han’s information…for the first job offer I got today.”

“Ms. Ashworth here had some very interesting comments on some of my business decisions that we spoke about today.” Jumin’s voice was even. “In fact, I was going to have Assistant Kang do some research on her before we interviewed her for the position I want to give her. I see now that Luciel may have already done that for me.”

“She’s good. Straight A student, studying Hospitality Management abroad on a full ride scholarship. Clean record, clean social media. Her Visa expires at the end of the semester, however. We should get her application for citizenship started since she’s joining RFA.” Seven took a seat next to Zen and lounged back in the chair. “Anything else you need to know, Mista trust fund kid?”

Jumin was making notes of his own. “I’ll let you know.”

“Kayla, how about you have a seat? We may be here for a while.” V pulled out a chair and gestured for me to sit, and only took his own seat after I did. “Now. Kayla has accepted the positon of party host. Each of you have been through this before, and I expect you all to help her make this party the best it can be. I will let you all know once I set a date, but it should be very soon. This is her first one and I don’t want it to be too big and scare her away from doing any more.”

“What will you do?” Yoosung’s voice was even, almost cold.

“I will be making sure all of you are safe, as well as our party guests.”

“From what?”

V shifted uncomfortably.

“None of your business.” Jumin spoke now. “I’m sure V knows what he’s doing and he’ll tell us if we need to know.”

“Thank you, Jumin.” V turned to me. “Please do not reveal the location of Rika’s apartment, and you do not need to go back. In fact, your dormitory is probably not safe to return to, either.”

“Where will I stay?” I asked, regretting ever leaving in the first place.

“There are extra rooms in my penthouse.” Jumin almost seemed surprised that he’d spoken. “They are apartment style, so it would be as if you were living by yourself and we’d never have to see each other at home. There’s great security if that is what you are concerned about, V.”

“Perfect. What do you think, Kayla?”

“I…that’s…that’s too much.”

“Your safety is the main concern. It is the least I can do, if you are going to start hosting parties for the RFA and work for me.” Jumin looked up at me. “You can move in as early as tonight. I’ll send a few security guards with you to pack your things and make sure you are safe until you return.”

“Wait.” Jaehee straightened. “We do not know how she accessed the messenger. Mr. Han, forgive me, but I do not believe inviting her into your home is the best course of action.”

“Jaehee, I appreciate your concern for my friend, but Kayla is not dangerous.” V reassured. “Luciel will be looking into the situation with the hacker, and Kayla has given us her phone so that any spyware will not put the rest of us at risk.”

“I believe that settles things, then.” Jumin reached across the table and took my hand in a firm shake. “Welcome to the RFA, and welcome to C&R. My driver and guards will go with you to pack your things. Assistant Kang, please make sure everything we discussed is ready for her tomorrow.”

“Yes, Mr. Han.”

“And would you please escort her to my car? Driver Kim should be in his normal space.”

“Yes, Mr. Han. Kayla, if you’ll follow me.” I stood warily, giving everyone a nervous smile before following Jaehee out of the conference room, surprised that she was just as average as I was. I respected her immensely, even though I hadn’t been in her presence for long.

“So. I’m sure today hasn’t gone as planned for you, either.” I began as the elevator doors closed.

“No, it hasn’t. This is bad. This is very bad.” She pulled out her phone to check something, then immediately replaced it. “I just think it’s an odd coincidence that you caught Mr. Han’s eye earlier in the day and then just happened upon the chatroom merely a few hours later.”

My cheeks reddened, and I suddenly felt very nauseous. She didn’t like _me_. I thought earlier that maybe she was just being careful for her friends and boss, but now that we were alone, I could cut the tension with a knife. Trying to push back an unwelcome rush of hurt, I tried again. “So, do you know what Mr. Han has in mind for me for tomorrow?”

“I should, as I will be the one training you.”

I followed her out of the elevator. “How long have you worked for Mr. Han?”

“Your ride is just here.” She ignored me, and nearly stomped over to a parked car before opening the door and motioning for me to get in. “Driver Kim, has Mr. Han given you the details for your route this evening?”

“Yes, Ms. Kang.” The driver turned and shot her a kind smile. “You have a good night now. I can handle this from here.”

“Thank you.” Without another glance or word to me, she closed the car door with a little more force than necessary and I watched as she stalked away. I felt a growing pit in my stomach at the thought of working with her. Hopefully, after she had some rest and more assurances from V and Seven, she’d be kinder in the morning. However, as Driver Kim started the car and turned on the radio, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off.

Maybe Jaehee had good reason to be wary.

**Author's Note:**

> I've been doing a ton of research for this story. All credit goes to their owners!
> 
> https://mmtranscripts.wordpress.com/2016/11/12/prologue-rfa/ (Special thanks to them for providing transcripts)
> 
> https://www.vg247.com/2018/05/16/mystic-messenger-email-guide-all-correct-answers-for-every-guest/
> 
> https://www.vg247.com/2017/10/13/mystic-messenger-how-to-get-on-jumin-route-walkthrough-prologue-day-1-2-3-and-4-deep-story-mode
> 
> https://www.vg247.com/2017/11/28/mystic-messenger-jumin-route-walkthrough-and-endings-guide-day-5-6-7-8-9-10-and-11-deep-story-mode/
> 
> https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_exports
> 
> http://www.worldstopexports.com/wine-exports-country/


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